


Raven's Fall

by amurwrites



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Dreams and Nightmares, F/F, F/M, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, spoilers for campaign 1
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:33:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29932101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amurwrites/pseuds/amurwrites
Summary: It's been 10 years since Vox Machina defeated the Whispered One, Vecna, and lost Vax'ildan to the Raven Queen. It's been 10 years of relative peace, other than a few adventures here and there. Yet, one night, Vex'ahlia de Rolo receives a strange dream that stirs the rest of Vox Machina into action. In this dream one word creeps into her mind, a word that causes her heart to skip a beat:"Jenga."
Relationships: Keyleth/Vax'ildan (Critical Role), Kima/Allura Vysoren, Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III/Vex'ahlia
Comments: 7
Kudos: 41





	Raven's Fall

Vex’ahlia was falling.

How she knew she was falling, she wasn’t sure. There was no rush of air, no feeling of falling. But she was falling, nonetheless. Dragged down by an unseen force. The space around her, blood red with deep shadows, moved past her vision. The black shadows began to coalesce in front of her, forming two shapes. She blinked her eyes and the shapes became more clear. Two people, one with a long dress and fancy circlet and the other with a bow slung over its shoulder, stared at her. Vex blinked again and the shapes rippled.

She reached up her hand but...that wasn’t her hand. The bracers were black, with details of feathers and her hands were porcelain white. In her periphery, the black shadows formed new shapes of black wings. Vex blinked again and she saw the figures turn into two recognizable people, Keyleth and...Vex’ahlia.

Keyleth and Vex’ahlia held out their hands, tears pricking at their eyes. Vex (or was she Vax?) kept falling until she landed. She felt herself sinking; she could see blood begin to cover her up. Keyleth and Vex’ahlia began to vanish, slowly disappearing into the bloody shadows around them. Vex kept her hand out as the blood began to reach into her eyes and fill her lungs. She couldn’t escape the pull, she felt himself being lost.

As her hand disappeared in the blood, she managed one last cry for help.

“Jenga.”

* * *

_“Jenga.”_

Vex’ahlia bolted out of bed. She leaned over, retching into the nearby chamberpot. Vex felt a hand rubbing her back as she gasped on the side of the bed.

“It’s okay,” Percy’s sleep-deprived voice said. Trinket’s nose nuzzled into her hair as she was bent over the bed. When she had stopped retching, her husband reached over and lit the candles by the side of the bed. Vex looked over to him and Percy froze. “Pelor’s grace, are you okay?”

Vex whipped her mouth and stared at him. Percy’s blue eyes were fraught with worry. She shrugged. “It was just a bad dream, darling. Nothing more.”

“Vex, you just coughed up blood.”

She blinked and looked at her hand. A large blood streak was present on the back of her hand and she glanced at the chamberpot to her side. Instead of vomit, as she expected, blood filled the bottom of the pot. Her heart skipped a beat.

As she stared at the blood, Percy had moved over and knelt beside her. He took a kerchief to her mouth and handed her a cup of water. “Are you sure you’re okay? You’re not sick?”

Vex shook her head. Visions from her nightmare kept cycling in her head. She was drowning in a pool of blood right?

“Vex’ahlia?” Percy’s voice was full of worry. “Should I call Keeper Yennen?”

She waved her hand dismissively. “No, no, I’m fine Percival.” Her hands shook as she took a cup of water.

Percy stared her down. “You’re not fine, Vex’ahlia.” Percy brow furrowed. He rushed to the door to their chambers and cracked it open. “Get Keeper Yennen right away, please.” Vex rolled her eyes as her husband walked back to her. His gaze was that all too familiar stare, full of worry. Vex knew he wasn’t going to let up. Trinket seemed to sense her tension and nuzzled his nose into her hand. Vex managed a small smile and started to pet the bear.

“I- this is going to sound weird. But,” she sighed. “I had a dream, I think.” Vex snuck a look at Percy, who had cocked his head to the side. But he didn’t say anything so she continued. “I was falling, I think. Falling through a bloody sky. And then, I saw two people. It was Keyleth and… me-Vex. Then, I hit a pool of blood and began drowning. And, as I was waking up, I spoke and heard ‘jenga’.” Percy had shifted a little in his kneeling position. “I think....I was actually Vax. And Vax needed help.”

Percy quickly changed from concerned to thinking, as he normally looked when facing a problem. He stood up and began to pace the room. “What does that mean? I-I would say that was just a dream but....you’re coughing up blood.”

“I don’t know. But when I heard...him speak, when he said “jenga” it was like he was speaking to me. Like it was through the earring.”

Her husband had taken off his glasses and was rubbing his eyes. “This can’t be good.”

“Understatement of the century, darling,” she tried to keep the mood light but worry betrayed her voice. She might have dismissed the dream as just that a dream but the blood at the bottom of the chamber pot haunted her. She and the rest of Vox Machina had dreams before, dreams that told the future or warned them of ill fate. But it had been years since the last time. Nearly a decade since they had last spoken to the Raven Queen or Vax. Why were things changing now?

A knock at the door shook her from her thoughts. Percy let in Keeper Yennen, the head priest of Erathis at the Lady’s Chamber. Ever since the Liberation of Whitestone, Yennen was a confidant and cleric for the de Rolo’s, whenever Pike wasn’t around. Yennen was much older now but his healing abilities were still notable.

“My lord, what’s wrong?” Yennen’s white beard was stark against his dark face and eyes.

Percy visibly relaxed but only slightly. “Lady Vex’ahlia appears to have come down with something. If you don’t mind looking her over.” Percy gestured inside and Yennen walked in.

“Alright, my lady, what seems to be wrong?” Vex didn’t verbally respond, only showing him the bloody kerchief. Yennen stiffened visibly and looked back to Percy, eyes wide. “What happened?”

Vex shrugged. “I woke up about 15 minutes ago and started coughing. I wasn’t aware that I was coughing up blood until Percy pointed it out.” She made sure to not include that dream.

Yennen grumbled in response and lifted up his holy symbol of Erathis. He muttered a few words under his breath and placed a hand on Vex’s head. She felt a wave of radiant energy as Yennen let go of her. “Well,” he finally said, “you are not ill. You have no diseases nor are you poisoned. I can’t feel any curses or anything ill. In fact, you are incredibly healthy.” He began to stroke his beard. “There is no reason for you to cough up blood.”

Percy just crossed his arms, looking defeated. Vex managed a smile at the priest. “Thank you Keeper Yennen, for looking me over. We’ll keep an eye out and I think we’ll bring Pike here in the morning.” Yennen nodded and Percy led him out of the bedroom, thanking the priest as he left. Once the door closed, Percy turned back to Vex. “So, contact Pike in the morning and figure out a way to meet her. Hopefully, we’ll figure out what is wrong.” Percy sat on the edge of the bed and took her still somewhat blood-stained hand.

“I’m still worried about the dream. I know it’s just a dream and it might not be real. But, I can’t shake this feeling in my gut.”

Percy sighed. “Same here. Something doesn’t feel right. But let’s try to get some sleep before dawn.” Vex nodded, giving her husband a quick kiss. She walked to their washbasin to clean her hand before retiring to the bed once again. As she sunk into the bed, there was another, much louder, knock at their door.

“My lord, lady,” one of the Pale Guard’s voice came through the door. “ Lady Keyleth has just arrived. She needs to speak with you urgently.”

Vex locked eyes with Percy, suddenly feeling another horrible feeling in her gut. Trinket’s ears perked up and he stared at the door. Vex hopped out of the bed and rushed to the door. As she opened it, a weary-eyed Keyleth greeted her. The druid looked as though she threw on her clothes haphazardly and her circlet was not centered on her head.

“Keyleth, what’s wrong?” Vex couldn’t stop the worry in her voice.

Keyleth, looking like she was about to cry, responded softly. “I’ve had the most horrible dream. And, I think Vax is in trouble.”


End file.
